Graphite Blog

24.03.2017

EU Decision on Banning Headscarves in the Workplace

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that employers can implement a ban on employees wearing headscarves in the workplace. The first of two cases brought before the ECJ concerned a woman who was employed as a receptionist by G4S Secure Solutions. After being employed by the company for three years, the claimant decided...

International Women’s Day Interview with Moira Grassick

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Moira Grassick to speak to her about her career and how she has become the successful woman that she is today. As always, Moira is open, approachable and honest, just like the way she is on an everyday basis in the office. Joining Graphite in 2012,...

How to manage an employee working unauthorised over-time

As an employer, it is important to know what hours your employees are working each week, in order to ensure we are compliant with employment legislation. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 sets out the maximum hours an employee can work each week. If you have an employee who works several hours overtime every...

Case Study: Whistleblower awarded €30,000

Background of the case The employee appealed to the Tribunal following a recommendation from the Rights Commissioner under the Unfair Dismissal Act, 1977 to 2007. The respondent provides cleaning, maintenance and security to clients. The claimant worked in the property side of the business. There were two property managers, the claimant and his colleague working...

The benefits of employee well-being for your business

Employee wellbeing has become an increasingly popular subject over the past number of years. Having a workforce who are healthy, productive and motivated can have a positive impact on the overall effectiveness of your business. When we talk about wellbeing we are not only referring to physical sickness, we are also looking at mental and...

Question of the Month – Can an employee refuse to work while they have a grievance with the company?

Employers need to be very active when dealing with or responding to grievances of employees. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as a legitimate health and safety concern, employees are not entitled to refrain from work following the lodgement of a grievance with the employer. Where the employee exhausts the internal process, and the outcome...

When Secret Santa Goes Wrong….

With the silly season upon us, a lot of employers like to embrace the Christmas season within the workplace to boost morale. For a bit of fun, a lot of organisations will hold a secret Santa. Although this is all in the spirit of good fun, there have been occasions where secret Santa has gone...

Case Study: Employee Awarded €40,000 in Sexual Harassment Case

In a recent case in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), a woman was awarded €40,000 for sexual harassment by her boss. In this case, the WRC cited that the claimant provided “detailed and comprehensive examples of harassment”. The hearing was provided with screenshots of some “particularly lewd and offensive and pornographic images”. The claimant also had...

How do you define what an employee is and are those on JobBridge employees?

In most cases it is clear whether or not an individual is an employee; simply down to their contract of work and what that contract implies. But sometimes this isn’t always the case, which in turn can lead to misconceptions regarding employment status of individuals. It is important that the job an individual is carrying...